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History of Castles
Castles were an important part of life in the Middle Ages. Castles offered residence to lords, and were an effective method of protection in the case of an attack. They also served as a symbol of the wealth and power of the lords who owned them. Before Castles Prior to the invention of castles, nobles lived in homes that were far less luxurious. Earlier on, nobles took residence in wooden houses surrounded by palisades, or protective wooden fences. These one-room homes would feature a floor covered in straw. Nobles would do everyday things here, such as sleeping, eating, and conducting business and prayer. The house would be heated by the same fire that was used to cook food, but they still tended to be very cold inside. In the case of an emergency, people would take refuge within the protection of the palisade. These houses were designed for protection rather than comfort, and were very susceptible to fire. Motte-and-Bailey Castles Early castles didn't really resemble castles we know today. Originally, they tended to be made of earth and wood. These were called motte-and-bailey castles. The "motte" in this arrangement was an earthen mound with a small ditch at its base. The top of the mound was enclosed by a tall wall of wooden stakes. Inside this wall was a wooden tower. From here, an inclined bridge lead to the outer court, or bailey. Most early castles were like this. Motte-and-Bailey castles had several weaknesses. The wood they were made of tended to to rot over time or because of rain. It was also susceptible to fire. They were also generally smaller than later castles, which was a definite disadvantage. Evidently, they didn't last very long, as we don't really see any of them around today. Stone Keep Castles Stone keep castles are more like the castles that we know today. They were made of stone rather than wood, so the issues of burning and rotting no longer existed. They were also taller than motte-and-bailey castles because stone is much stronger tahn wood, and, as such, can be built much higher. This allowed for a greater range of view from the top to see oncoming attackers. These castles had thick stone walls that made them difficult to attack. The walls would often be several feet thick. One flaw with these castles was that they ciould effectively be made into prisons by attackers. If attackers surrounded the castle and put it under seige, those inside would be trapped. Since there wasn't any other way out of the castle, the attackers would often wait until everyone inside starved to death. Concentric Castles Concentric castles are the type of castle that we are most familiar with. They were much larger and more secure than stone keep castles, and they began to appear arount the 11th century. These castles were often referred to as "a castle within a castle" because of the large keep within fortified walls. Edward I was the first to build concentric castles. He had four castles constructed in Wales, because he though that the welsh were a threat. He though that building these castles would serve as protection as well as a sign of power. These castles can be found at Caernarvon, Beaumaris, Conway and Harlech. An important aspect of the concentric castle was the strong defense system. The keep was always built in a round or polygonal shape, rather than the square shape of the stone keep castles. The defense system included mechanisms including the barbican, portcullis, murder holes, drawbridge, gatehouses and other types of death traps. A concentric castle would also always have fresh water available inside, to keep residents from dying of thirst during a seige. The concentric castle also brough with it sever improvements in interior design. Wall paintings decorated the rooms, making for less barren living quarters. Windows were also larger, because of new developments that allowed arches to support more weight. Some windows also featured panes of glass, which had previously been uncommon in castles. Additionally, while bathing was usually done in wooden barrels, concentric castles introduced a simple, primitively designed bathroom which was used for bathing. This luxury was reserved for only the most important of nobles, however.